Premier Doug Ford launched his new mandate with a fiery speech saying he's ready to win the fight against any tariffs imposed by the U.S. and build on the province's economic strength.
With his third majority government, Ford managed to shrink the number of NDP seats and keep Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie out of the legislation.
"Ontario we did it again,” he told about 200 supporters at the Toronto Congress Centre.
The premier said he will “fight like I never fought before. Let me declare, Canada will never, ever become the 51st state and Canada is not for sale.
“I will work with anyone, I will work with everyone to get things done,” he said.
"Now as we stare down the threat of Donald Trump's tariffs, I will continue to do just that, i will work with every level of government and every political stripe," he said. “Standing up for Canada, it will take a full team Ontario effort, it will take a full team Canada effort.”
Ford said his government has attracted more than $170 billion in new investments into the provincial economy, including battery plants, factories, and life science facilities.
“Standing up for Canada, it will take a full team Ontario effort, it will take a full team Canada effort,” he said. “Now, together, we have to fight hard to protect our progress. This election, we asked the people for a mandate, a strong mandate that will outlive and outlast the Trump administration, a mandate to do whatever it takes to protect Ontario.
“Well friends, the people have spoken," Ford said. "The people said yes. We ask the people for a mandate to unleash the awesome economic potential of the ring of fire. The people said yes. We asked the people for a mandate to build up our economy by tearing down internal trade barriers, and the people said yes.”
Ford also praised his opponents.
“We may disagree on policy but there is no question that each one of them love their province and each one of us loves Canada," he said.
“Friends, over the last seven years we have made so much progress together, over one million more people are working today than when we were elected in 2018," he told his supporters. Ford listed off
NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the results were not what the party wanted, but they have been tasked as the province's Official Opposition.
Speaking to an enthusiastic audience, she said the party intended to fight.
"But the people of Ontario made their choice," she said. "They re-elected the government, hoping it will help protect them from Donald Trump and his tariffs, and they have entrusted me and my team to do a different but also very important job.
“We have been tasked again to serve the people of Ontario as their official opposition and our job is to hold this government to account and that is the job we are going to do with our usual fight with and our determination and also with our love and hope and optimism,” Marit said.
“In another few years, we are going to face a rematch. And I am there for it, my friends,” she said.
It only took 10 minutes after polls closed, Ford and his Progressive Conservatives were projected to secure their third consecutive majority government. Later in the night with 95 per cent of the polls reporting, the PCs had about 43 per cent of votes, Liberals about 30 per cent, NDP about 19, Green about five, and the independent took 1.11 per cent.
Despite Crombie not winning her seat, the Liberals have their first positive result in two elections. They have regained their party status by winning or leading in 13 seats and received almost double the amount of votes the NDP garnered.
In her concession speech, Crombie acknowledged the results were not what supporters hoped for.
"Listen, running for office is no small thing," she told supporters. "I know tonight isn't what you were hoping for. This is a building block for us.
"Voters have given Doug Ford another mandate tonight, a small one but none the less... you can count on me," Crombie said. "Doug, we will be watching. We know Ontario can do so much better. We'll make sure you protect our public healthcare system and our Greenbelt."
Despite Progressive Conservative candidate Silvia Gualtieri winning Mississauga East-Cooksville, Crombie situated herself as a winner for gaining party status and eating away at Ford's seats.
Meanwhile, Green Leader Mike Schreiner graciously took the stage as his supporters cheered for him. He expressed his gratitude to his volunteers and voters.
New Democratic Party Leader Marit Stiles and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner kept their seats in Davenport and Guelph respectively.
At The Great Hall on Queen Street West, supporters cheered when Stiles was declared the official opposition again. The NDP retained its status as the Official Opposition at Queen’s Park.
Ford called a snap election on Feb. 29 that cost taxpayers around $189 million. Ford argued he needed a strong mandate to fight Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The PCs were winning or leading in 86 ridings, the NDP 26, the Liberals 14, the Greens two and an independent had one. The NDP won 31 seats in 2022 while the Liberals won eight. The PCs took 83 seats and the Greens won one.
The party’s strongholds in rural Ontario and the suburbs around Toronto, particularly in the 905 region, delivered overwhelming support for the PCs. Even in traditionally competitive ridings like Mississauga East-Cooksville and Etobicoke North, the PCs held firm against Liberal and NDP challengers.
Meanwhile, the NDP maintained its base in Toronto and Northern Ontario but failed to make significant inroads elsewhere. The party’s platform on housing affordability and concerns about public healthcare failed to sway enough suburban voters.
Ford’s campaign centred around “keeping costs down” for Ontarians, promising to invest in transit expansion. His government’s record of job creation played a crucial role.
The Greens' Mike Schreiner said he was disappointed the party didn't win a third seat in Parry Sound.
“Greens are here to stay," he told Humber Et Cetera. "We are going to hold the Ford government accountable, we are going to be willing to work across party lines, when it means putting people first and getting things done for our community.
“I want the premier to know that we are going to be pushing hard to build homes that people can afford, and fix healthcare and education and protect the people of places we love in this province,” Schreiner said. “I’m worried about our environment. The Ford government has been systematically dismantling a lot of the environmental protections in Ontario.”
